The field of application of the disclosure extends to automation. Automation installations in factory automation, process engineering and the like can include a multiplicity of individual components, for example, handling devices, processing devices, reactor devices, valve units of pipeline systems and other components.
In addition to device-related units, all of these components can include electronic units for operating the component which are connected to a data network of the automation installation. The data network can operate according to a field bus standard. The individual components of the automation installation can be operated in a coordinated manner via this network in order to produce a product which runs through the automation installation.
An aim of planning the maintenance of an automation installation is to keep the individual components ready for operation, for example, to avoid a defect of a component during the ongoing operation of the automation installation. Predictive maintenance is useful for this purpose. In order to plan such maintenance, the maintenance state of each component of the automation installation can be monitored.
Because the individual components can have different failure behaviors, the practice of monitoring the maintenance state can be associated with calculating failure probabilities. Whereas electronic controller units can, for example, operate for fifteen years, the service life of a PC (personal computer) can be restricted to, for example, approximately five years. In order to carry out maintenance in good time, for example to replace a component in danger of failure, the component can be provided with an operating hours counter in the simplest case. When the operating hours counter has reached the predefined service life limit by adding the operating hours, the component can be maintained or replaced.
With this maintenance method, a multiplicity of items of information are evaluated according to the number of components installed in an automation installation. The situation may also arise in which, although it is desired to replace a long-lasting component of the automation installation as a result of the service life limit expiring, a replacement part for this component may no longer be available because the manufacturer is no longer able to supply it owing to product discontinuation, a model change or the like. In order to ensure the availability of replacement parts, in particular for long-lasting components, it would therefore be desirable to procure such replacement parts in good time and to store them. However, only the manufacturer knows the information relating to an availability period of the replacement parts, and precautionary storage can be complicated.